


Beautiful lies

by withowlmyheart



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Fukurodani won nationals, M/M, Minor Bokuaka - Freeform, Romantic Fluff, Urban Legends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-12-27 03:20:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21111815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/withowlmyheart/pseuds/withowlmyheart
Summary: Konoha is a normal student and he likes it. He doesn't expect anything extraordinary happening to him.However, his life turns into a complete mess when the statue he visited one morning appears at night knocking on his door. But now it's not a statue. It's a boy. A real, and very attractive boy, called Semi. Oh, don't forget he's half-naked.





	Beautiful lies

> _Legends build the world. They endow it with a magical halo that allows us to transform reality. For those who dream, legends are a beautiful gift. And this is the legend of a boy, a young man who was transformed into a statue. And another boy, a simple student, who did not believe in legends or fairy tales but who stars this one..._

Konoha had never been attracted to legends. Bokuto, on the other hand, did enjoy them. Every time he heard a rumour, no matter how credible it was, he searched for information about it for hours and lived it as if it was real. It could explain why he was standing in front of the most famous statue in Tokyo, surrounded by tourists queuing to make the image which would give them an amount of likes on social networks. A year ago, overnight, a polished ivory statue with an inscription appeared in central Tokyo. No one found a reasonable explanation or the person in charge of the statue, so different legends began to be invented until one rose above the others. The statue was of a boy who had been petrified by Medusa for offending her after she wanted a relationship with him but rejected her for his sexual orientation. Medusa, as punishment, looked at him and petrified. Then she abandoned him in the square, letting the boy be aware of everything that was going on around him but condemned not to move or speak. Unless his soulmate touched him. Then the curse would break and he would come back to life.

Konoha had to admit it. The legend was original and explained the mysterious appearance of the statue, but... Was it necessary to queue five hours just to take a picture holding his hand or doing some ridiculous pose? Obviously, for Bokuto it was worth it. He had managed to convince him to, after morning training, go for his picture. Konoha was tired of the marketing strategy he was involved in. Because, of course, for everyone with more than half neuron, it was obvious that the statue was part of some public relations campaign.

The only good thing was that they were only one turn away from taking the photograph and going home. To sleep, of course. Konoha was not a morning person. Neither a night one. He was more like an owl tired of living.

“Hey, Konoha, make sure I look handsome!” Bokuto asked. He ignored the hand of the girl who was there to help him get on the podium where the statue was.

“Yes, you have already told me twenty times. And I remind you that the camera shows what it sees. If you look dumb you will look like a dumb.” Konoha stuck his knee on the floor and prepared the target.

His eyes studied the stage to find the best angle. He didn't want to take a bad picture and have Bokuto crying for the next three months because he didn't like it and they had to swallow five hours in the queue again. He made sure that the sakura trees were in sight, but in the background, so the background was a perfect pale pink and blue sea. It combined perfectly with the white T-shirt and the blue jeans they both wore. Konoha was a serious photographer; he was going to do it well, so he asked Bokuto to wear those clothes.

While Bokuto was deciding between placing his arm on the shoulders of the statue or posing like a soldier next to him, Konoha studied the statue itself. He had looked at it in several photographs of influencers, but until then he didn't really see it. The marble had been perfectly sculpted, enhancing each of the boy's features. He did not know if he represented an authentic person, but it seemed so because of the realism of his marked cheekbones, his sharp jaw and his enigmatic eyes. His expression, with a raised eyebrow and the corners of his lips slightly crooked in a hint of a smile. Konoha smiled without realizing it and tried not to lower his gaze, but it was impossible not to do so with the statue of an attractive boy... almost naked. Except for a single cloth covering its intimacy.

Finally, Bokuto was ready. He decided to put his arm on its shoulders. Konoha sighed and took several images just in case. Bokuto had a wonderful tendency to appear with his eyes closed. Bokuto was the worst model Konoha had ever had.

“How I look? Handsome? Pretty? Do I have to pose again? Do you think Akaashi would like them? But the statue has not become human!” Said a disappointed Bokuto. His hair was deflated and, despite having fulfilled his illusion, he did not look happy. Konoha placed his hand on Bokuto's shoulder.

“What did you expect? Your soulmate is Akaashi, dumbass owl. It wasn't going to transform with you.” Suddenly Bokuto's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree and he raised his arms in the air.

“Hey hey hey! It is true! I'm going to call Akaashi and I'll tell him. He was worried about it!”

“Sure.” Bokuto didn't catch the irony in his words and Konoha let him be. His captain had the right to live in his bubble sometimes. “Well, can you take a picture of me?”

“Do you want to?” Konoha shrugged. He left his precious camera to Bokuto and took off his backpack, jacket and wallet, addressing the statue.

“I won't come here just to take you a photography...”

With the girl's help, he climbed onto the podium and watched it for a few seconds. How should he pose? Should he be as confident as Bokuto? Imitate any of the poses Konoha had seen on Instagram? No. He simply treated it like any other friend. He placed his hand on the statue's shoulder and gave a small smile.

“Ready!” Bokuto shouted, shaking the camera, causing Konoha to almost have a heart attack. He jumped down. Konoha turned a moment on his heels and looked at the statue. “It seems that you are not his soulmate either. I'm sorry.” Konoha shrugged.

“I will get over it. Well, now let's go for that Bubble Tea.”

“What Bubble Tea?”

“The one you're going to give me for forcing me to stand in a queue for five damn hours. And it will be extra-large.”

Konoha picked up his backpack. While Bokuto was jumping around talking about the last attack he had perfected with Akaashi to defeat Karasuno if they came to face them, the number 7 of Fukurodani took a last look at the statue and thought he saw a detail that had previously gone unnoticed. Had the statue always had the tips of his black hair or was it because of the shadows?

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The door was shaken so hard that it woke up the unawakeable Konoha. The owl known for being the hardest one to wake up on the team covered his head with one of his multiple pillows. He thought the noise would cease, but, after five minutes, it returned. Konoha opened his eyes suddenly, growling.

“If it's Bokuto again to tell me about the last chapter of Boku No Hero Academia I will kill him. I swear I'll kill him.” Konoha put on his slippers and left the room, which unfortunately was next to the front door of the house.

He passed the clock in the hall and saw that it was three in the morning. “C'mon, it must be a fucking joke,” he growled, running his hand over his sleepy face. He yawned and opened the door.

He was almost sure it would be Bokuto with any of his nonsense. He had the conference ready at the tip of his tongue, but the words died when he recognized the black-tipped hair he had seen in the morning. Those cheekbones and eyes were hard to forget. And much less now that they were looking right at him.

Konoha rubbed his eyes, closed them and reopened. He looked out and then back and forth.

“This...,” he murmured, “I'm dreaming, right? Of course I'm dreaming, what nonsense I'm saying.” Konoha pinched his arm, but the boy in front of him didn't disappear. He pinched his skin with more force, but the now human statue was still there, looking at him baffled. And, gods, the pain was real. That meant… “Wait. Are you real?” He stepped forward and squeezed the boy's cheeks.

The boy swatted it and frowned. Shit, even that way he was attractive. The marble had perfectly captured its beauty. No, wait a moment, what was he thinking? That was surreal!

“You are the boy of this morning. You've been the one who woke me up.” He approached until his breath touched Konoha's nose. He remained motionless. “Are you my soulmate?”

“Ok, I'm hallucinating. I'm going to denounce the Bubble Tea's store.” He put his hand onto his forehead and leaned against the door frame. “You are not real, and you…,” Konoha's eyes dropped and widened, “you are naked?”

“Yes, yes. Well no, I'm real, you know? I am in front of you and I am very real,” the statue-boy entered without permission and closed the door. The boy put his hands in his arms and rubbed them. Konoha realized at that moment that he was shaking. Sure, he must be frozen. It was spring, but it was still cold. “I guess I wouldn't believe it if it hadn't happened to me, but I assure you that I exist, and the legend they tell is true. Or at least, it was.”

Konoha sighed and took the blanket from his room, which he gave to the stranger. He quickly wrapped himself with it and sighed in relief.

“Ok, let's see. Imagine for a moment that I believe you were a statue this morning and not now. Imagine I believe that the legend about you is true. What are you doing at my house at three in the morning?” He asked as he went to the living room. He turned on the dim light of the room and they both sat on the couch.

“The truth?” The boy shrugged. “I had nowhere to go or who to turn to.”

“And your parents? Family? Friends?”

The opposite looked away, visibly uncomfortable. Konoha regretted the instant he asked.

“I am an orphan. I grew up in an orphanage until I ran away. I have no friends, I have always lived alone. Until it happened…,” he bit his tongue. “I noticed it when you touched me.”

“That doesn't explain how you have found me.”

“True. I can explain it with this,” the boy pulled his arm from the blanket and opened his hand, revealing Konoha's wallet. He felt incredibly stupid. He had left his things on the floor before taking the picture. He had forgotten to pick up his wallet. Of course, there was a sheet with his address. The boy had found him that way. The statue-boy threw it and Konoha caught it in the air.

Konoha scratched his neck and got up. He threw the wallet on the table in front of the sofa and headed for the kitchen. Suddenly he felt an immense headache, greater than the one that Bokuto generated when he wanted one of his extra workouts. “Do you like hot chocolate?” He asked from the open kitchen, connected with the living room.

“Yes,” the boy replied trying to sound indifferent, but Konoha caught some emotion in his voice. Konoha smiled. He was like Akaashi: he tried to hide how much he liked something, but certain aspects betrayed him.

Suddenly Konoha burst out laughing. The situation was stupid, a complete nonsense. What was he doing preparing a hot chocolate at three in the morning for a boy who had appeared knocking on the door of his house half-naked? Oh, sure, don't forget the fact that the same boy hours before was a damn statue in the middle of the city.

He put his hands to his stomach, bending with laughter. Those things did not happen to people like him. He was a normal student. He would get up at five in the morning to go to his morning training between grunts and curses, wondering why he was doing it instead of staying in his warm, fluffy bed sleeping; he would attend most classes; he wouldn't do the homework, but he would improvise them very well; he would pass the exams with good grades but without highlighting. He was the jack of all trades, master of none. He was a side character in his own story. Konoha Akinori was not the type to whom spectacular things happened. That was Bokuto.

And yet, there was the incredibly attractive boy. A living legend. There was also a topic that Konoha hadn't wanted to think about until then. Was he his soulmate? The legend said that only his soulmate could bring him back to life. And obviously there it was. If that part of the legend was true, why not the rest? But could they fit in? Konoha doubted it. He didn't look like a bad boy, but neither was his type. Stoic, cold, too similar to him.

The microwave beeped and woke him from his daydreams. He took out the cup with the hot chocolate and gave it to the boy.

“Thank you,” he muttered. As soon as he tried the chocolate, his eyebrows arched and he licked. Konoha smiled. He looked like a little boy.

“I imagine you already know it, but I am Konoha Akinori.”

“Semi. Semi Eita. Sorry I didn't tell you before.”

“No problem. I guess there were other more important issues.”

The two remained silent. Konoha looked away at the photo frames adorning the shelves. Semi focused on the liquid in his cup. Finally, it was Fukurodani's wing spiker who broke the silence.

“What will you do now? That is, now that you have... Well, that you are... I mean, that you are not...”

“A decorative element?” Semi pushed the breed aside and sighed. “I don't know. I have not thought about it. The truth is that I didn't even hope to be human again. I was a whole year fucking there locked up waiting but not waiting, you know? It was like I thought the next person would be the one, but at the same time, I knew there was no hope. Day after day I was putting off thinking about what I would do if the curse was broken because, well, I didn't think it was possible. And tonight, when it happened… I just ran.”

“Naked. At three in the morning. To the house of a stranger.”

Semi opened his mouth, seemed willing to reply, but changed his mind and closed it. “Exactly."

“Okay, no problem. It's not like I was doing anything important like sleeping or my parents were going to kill me for hosting a living statue.”

“I can leave if it bothers you. I wanted to meet the person who saved me, who is my soulmate. Curiosity. I don't want to cause you…” Konoha cut him off.

“I was expelled two weeks from high school because my best friend and captain of the volleyball team hit the head of the director because of a bug. I am made for people who cause problems. You can say I'm immunized so don't worry about it. We better go to sleep and see what we can do tomorrow. I don't work well at night. Well, for the day either, but I improve a little. Not too much. It doesn't matter.”

Semi laughed. He did it from the heart, or so it seemed to Konoha. His features relaxed completely for the first time and his shoulders relaxed. “Are you going to help me? I am a stranger. I would understand if you don't do it.”

“I've seen you in underpants, I think our relationship is pretty close now.”

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Konoha kept his promise.

The following weeks were complete chaos, a kind of absurd and unreal dream. His parents and the police were shocked by the disappearance of the statue and the appearance of the boy with the same features. The media didn't echo the news and it gave Semi a bit of calm to order his life, but it wasn't a simple matter. He was a boy who escaped illegally from an orphanage and who, after a missing year, had no stable identity or place. Fortunately, Konoha, after supplications and dozens of emotional blackmails, managed to get his parents to accept Semi in his house. The Konoha were a wealthy family, and they didn't get used to being too much at home, so it wasn't a real problem. The real complication was getting them to accept Semi in Fukurodani and explain who he was. Luckily, Akaashi could intervene because his father was the director of the academy.

During that week Konoha discovered many things about Semi. At first sight, he was an attractive cold, stoic and mysterious boy, but many things made him smile. A cup of hot chocolate, a bad comedy, or every time he beat Konoha in Mario Kart. And he was passionate. Konoha found it out in the first volleyball training, where Semi proved to be an excellent setter, and even aggressive. He put his heart into what he really liked, and Konoha caught himself smiling at Semi's intensity. It was different from Bokuto. The owl captain was passionate but carefree; Semi, on the other hand, was passionate but intense and dangerous, like a fire. It was attractive and hypnotic. However, there was a facet of Semi that worried him, one that only Konoha saw.

Like that night, when Semi's screams woke him up suddenly. He got out of his bed, greeted by the icy floor, and found Semi shrunk over himself with shaken breathing and his hand on his chest. He turned his back on Konoha, but he could almost see his wrinkled nose, his mouth slightly open trying to normalize his expensive breathing. Konoha had seen it enough times.

“Calm down, Semi, you're home. You're safe.” Konoha sat on the edge of the bed and placed his hand on the boy's back, raising and lowering his hand. He had discovered by trial and error that it managed to calm him. “It has been a nightmare, it is not real. I'm with you, okay? Everything will be fine.”

For the first time after one of his nightmares, Semi turned. Thanks to the night light that filtered through the blinds, Konoha distinguished Semi's tears. It was the first time Konoha saw him so fragile. “Do you promise it?” His voice was a thread, and for Konoha, it was as if his heart was being squeezed. He nodded. Of course he did. He was willing to do anything to keep him safe.

“Can you... ?,” Semi bit his lower lip, doubting whether or not he should say it, “can you sleep with me?”

Konoha didn't think about it or make him repeat it, because he knew that, for someone as proud as Semi, it would be like digging into the wound. Konoha pushed the sheet aside while Semi moved and lay down next to him. The wing spiker didn't know exactly what to do. Should he hug him? It was certainly what he wanted to do in the hope of making him feel better, of comforting him, but he thought it would bother him.

However, it was Semi who closed his eyes and approached Konoha to surround his body with his arm. Konoha smiled and wrapped him in a hug. “Thank you,” Semi muttered. “But, if you tell someone about this...”

“Do you think I'm interested in letting others know that I spend the night in bed with someone who was weeks ago a statue?” Konoha snorted. “No, thanks.” They both knew it, but they both decided to shut up the truth: Semi needed a partner on those nights when his mind was torturing him, but he was too proud to let others know he wasn't as strong as he seemed. So they both pretended that every time they hugged or slept together it was a nuisance to both of them. They were fine lying to themselves.

“Do you have nightmares?” Semi asked, hiding in Konoha's chest.

“I can say so.”

“May I know what they are about?”

“Bokuto. He chases me for eternity with a volleyball so we can train a little more.”

Semi let out a faint laugh and the sound echoed in Konoha's chest. It was a pleasant feeling. “With Bokuto you never train just a little more.”

“Exactly.” The two laughed and, unconsciously, Konoha began to stroke the back of the setter. He noticed the muscles of Semi contract and knew that the setter was tense. Not because of Konoha but because of what was messing with his head.

“I wish I could change my nightmares with yours. Mine are…,” Semi squeezed Konoha's shirt tightly, his gaze lost somewhere far from his memories, “a little darker.”

“You underestimate how dumbass Bokuto can be. It can be scary.”

Semi smiled, and Konoha thought this relief expression on his face was worth every one of his nightmares where Bokuto haunted him.

“You complain a lot about Bokuto, but the dumbass owl is you,” Konoha grumbled when Semi punched him in the chest. “My nightmares are real. They chase me up awake, but there I can take them away. Although there are times when they are not but you are, so it is not always bad. I don't want to say that you make them disappear. Well, yes, but don't think you're special, it's because you're always growling and you make me forget about them. The problem is when I close my eyes. There I can't run away and...,” Konoha felt Semi's breathing accelerate and pulled the setter a little closer to him. It seemed that it managed to calm him down, “I remember who I am, how horrible I am.”

“Don't say stupid thing,” Konoha sat up suddenly, annoyed because of what Semi said to himself. He looked at him, but the opposite was not able to do the same. His eyes were fixed on the sheets. “Listen to me, I may not know anything about your past, but I know you. I know you are not a bad person. Maybe you have done bad things, but it does not make you one. Even good people sometimes have to do bad things to stay alive.”

Semi did not ask how Konoha knew that he was referring exactly to his past, to the evil that was hidden in him. The setter simply assumed that there was a person in the world who could read him despite how much he tried to hide from everyone.

Semi placed his hand on Konoha's chest and pushed him lightly until he got his back down. He sighed and rested his head on his friend's chest. He closed his eyes when Konoha's hand again patted his thin back.

“Thank you, Konoha. For everything.”

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The weeks turned into months, and Konoha got used to the continued presence of his soulmate in his house and his bedroom. Although their parents enabled one of the rooms as a dormitory, both preferred to continue sleeping together.

None mentioned anything about Semi's nightmares or how they got the setter back to sleep. Not even about Konoha's sleepless nights in which Semi put on some of his favourite movies and they were forced to cover their faces so the laughter wouldn't be heard all over the house. Because Semi loved bad movies. Those whose argument was so stupid they make you laugh out loud.

And it was one of those bad movie nights in which Konoha realized he spent more time looking at Semi, studying each of his expressions, rubbing him to steal popcorn, than attending the movie.

Konoha was in love with Semi.

Finally, the last month of his last year of high school arrived, and with him the participation of Fukurodani in the national tournament. The tension was evident. Everyone was more focused and irascible than usual. He and Semi did not have a good time. Semi wanted to be the starting setter, not the pinch server, but his tosses to Bokuto were not as precise as Akaashi's, and the whole team knew it. Even so, Semi achieved to play as the titular setter in several plays, always managing to score thanks to Konoha's spikes. Because, for Fukurodani's number 7, it was simple: he wasn't planning to waste a single one of Semi's perfect tosses. Konoha wanted to give Semi those points if those were the last games they could play together. And, when Semi smiled proudly at him after Konoha scored a point, he was sure: every effort was worth it.

And the last match arrived. The final. Fukurodani faced Kamomedai high school, the team who defeat Karasuno after an amazing match. Bokuto was more serious than usual, possibly thinking he should avenge the defeat of his disciple. But the worrying thing was that Akaashi was unable to coordinate with Bokuto. Akaashi was distracted. And that was not normal.

In the second half of the match, with a set tie, the announced misfortune occurred: Akaashi's tosses were completely uncoordinated and Bokuto joined his emo mode. The coach took a quick look at his reserve players. Konoha was almost certain he was going to exchange Akaashi for Semi. However, something unexpected happened.

Semi stepped on the line separating the reserves from the court and put his hands to his mouth in the form of a megaphone:

“Don't lose your temper now! You are one step away from victory! You cannot afford to surrender when you have the whole world looking at you! It's time to be the number one so focus, damn it, you stupid owls!”

The pavilion fell silent. Only Semi's scream was heard, who, after finishing, crossed his arms with a raised eyebrow, as proud as usual. Bokuto and Akaashi exchanged a look and smiled. So did Konoha. He sighed in relief and his eyes went to the ceiling. Win or lose, he had just decided it. After that match, he would confess his feelings to Semi. Semi said it: he was one step away from victory. But he had to take it.

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The ball fell. Silence swept the pavilion. Konoha's heart was beating so fast he thought the whole world would be listening. But no. All were too focused on the ball which had sentenced the game and also the winners of the national tournament.

“We... We did it?” Konoha murmured, still incredulous. He turned to Semi, who was watching the screen with the final score, speechless.

Five seconds. Five seconds was the time it took the public to explode in a wave of applause, cheers and hugs.

Konoha was no less. Semi did not wait and ran away. Konoha opened his arms and received the setter.

“You did it,” he whispered in Konoha's ear.

The wing spiker denied. “We did it. Without your encouragement, this would have ended in a very different way.”

Semi separated a few centimetres. He smiled, and the same did Semi. One of those rare smiles from ear to ear. Konoha felt his heart racing faster. He prayed for a doctor to be near because at any moment he would have a heart attack.

“Oh,” Semi replied, his gaze now away from Konoha. The wing spiker turned around and opened his eyes when he was how his captain kissed a stunned Akaashi.

Konoha gave a loud laugh and clapped. “Finally!” When they separated, Akaashi was redder than a tomato, and everyone knew it wasn't precisely because of the tiredness of the game. The setter grabbed Bokuto by the shirt and ran away dragging his captain with him. Konoha was sure he was going to kill him and kiss him. Not in that order necessarily. But he was glad for them. At last Bokuto had confessed his feelings to Akaashi. Of course, his captain could have done it in a less public way, less... Bokuto. But that was him. And that was how Akaashi liked him.

“Am I the only one who did not know those two liked each other?” Asked a gaping Semi.

“Well, there are people who take a long time to realize the most obvious, don't worry,” Komi said and winked at Konoha. He wished Semi hadn't looked, because he would have drowned Komi.

But at that time there was something else he should do.

“Hey Semi, do you mind if we talk alone for a moment?”

“Hm? Yeah.”

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Konoha had hidden his hands behind his back, nervously playing with his fingers. The outside of the court was cold, but he was not aware. His body seemed very determined to make heat and make him feel like he was in the middle of the desert at twelve in the morning. In front, Semi watched him with a frown, as usual. Possibly because he had been opening and closing his mouth consecutively for five minutes without saying a word.

Why couldn't he be like Bokuto? Kiss him and that's all. Whatever it had to be. Although Semi was not Akaashi. If he did that and refused, Semi would snap him.

Fear gripped him and he started looking for excuses so he wouldn't have to confess.

“Before you speak... I have something to confess to you,” Semi said suddenly. He ran his tongue over his lips, moistening them. Konoha wiped the sweat accumulated on the palms of his hands in his pants. Was Semi going to confess something? Could it be about his feelings? This easy? He swallowed deeply. “During all this time… I have lied to you. I... The legend, the statue, that you were my soulmate... It was all a lie. The statue was made by a sculptor who took care of me after I escaped from the orphanage. He was a psychologist who, during his free time, devoted himself to art. And he decided to try a social experiment by planting the statue out of nowhere to see the circulation of rumours and... Well, that doesn't matter. But the day you and Bokuto appeared... he died the same day. I was in big troubles. I was alone, with nowhere to go and none to believe. All I had was the wallet I stole from you, Sato's tools and a stupid legend. So I used them. I destroyed the statue and hid the remains. Then... I stood at your house and... I lied to your face. I've done it all this time. I can't hide it anymore, it's breaking me. I'm sorry, Konoha. I'm really sorry. I know it was horrible, I know I am a terrible person and I have no forgiveness.” Semi's eyes filled with tears, but this time he didn't try to suppress them and his cheeks turned into a river. He spoke fast, very fast, and seemed unable to stop because of the fear caused by what would happen once he was silent. “I'm scared that I'll end up alone, and it haunts me that I have to be this way. I… I just tried to survive, to stop being like a ghost… But… I can't take it anymore. The nightmares, the… the burden… Not… when… Fuck, when I realized that I love you.”

Semi's chest rose and fell with erratic breaths. His cheeks were painted red and the tears came from they slid by them without control.

Konoha took a deep breath. He massaged the back of his neck while his eyes were lost in the vast blue sky above their heads.

“I know.”

Semi blinked and held his breath for a few seconds. “What?”

“I always knew the statue's legend could not be true. I have to recognize I had my doubts, and I wanted to believe it, but a part of me was always convinced there was a logical explanation to what happened. I didn't know the details, of course. And, if I have to be honest, I stopped caring when I started to know you deeper.” Konoha shrugged as if nothing. “I hoped one day you would tell me, but I didn't know your nightmares were due to the weight you carried on your shoulders. But, I have told you: you are a good person, and even good people sometimes do bad things to survive. That doesn't change my feelings towards you or my opinion.”

Semi broke down to cry, this time allowing sobs and brief hiccups to come out of his mouth. He threw himself into Konoha's arms and hid in his chest, as he did every time a nightmare chased him. Konoha was his safe place, it hadn't changed. “Thank you. Thank you. You're fucking amazing, grumpy owl.”

Konoha caught Semi's face in his hands and forced him to look at him. “You are a grumpy owl too. And I should be the one thanking you for having appeared in my life, you know? In the end...” Konoha bit his lower lip, slightly breaking his smile. “In the end, you did not lie. The legend was true. The chosen one broke the statue and became the soulmate of the boy locked in it.”

Konoha rested his forehead next to Semi's. Both kept their eyes closed, enjoying the closeness of each other. Semi recognized the perfume of Konoha, a mixture of coffee and sweat that was not unpleasant at all. It reminded him of each morning when Konoha woke up growling and was unable to articulate a decent phrase until he drank three cups of coffee. Konoha smelled Semi's scent, that lavender shampoo and the vanilla-scented cream that Semi was trying to deny he used.

None knew each other's past, and it would take time to do so, but they knew every little hobby of each other. They were able to recognize their voices in the midst of a crowd of people. Their hearts accelerated at every casual touch. And, most importantly, they were in love with each other.

> _The legends are not always completely true, but their essence is. Semi, the boy in the statue, found his soulmate when he touched him._

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you very much for reading! I hope you'd enjoyed it. Comments & kudos are appreciated if you've liked it. ♡ 
> 
> You can find me on Twitter: @stanfukurodani.


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